Non-fiction: Colonization and Revolutionary War

Introduction to the Revolutionary War

Colonization and the Revolutionary War

Introduction to the Revolutionary War

As the colonies took root, they grew used to mostly governing themselves.
Great Britain decided it wanted more control. It began to force new taxes on the
colonists. They wanted to raise money from the goods they were shipping to the
colonies. In 1764, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act to raise the tax on
sugar. The next year, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. Colonists
now had to pay taxes for newspapers, marriage licenses, and all other legal
documents.
Many colonists were angered by these taxes. They hadn't agreed to them
and felt they were illegal and unfair. Each new tax led to a bigger protest1 by the
colonists. Besides taxes, many colonists were also unhappy about some of the
rules the British were forcing on them. In 1765, the British Parliament passed the
Quartering Act. The act stated that colonists had to agree to give British troops
food and let them stay in their homes. Colonists who were unhappy with how the
British were treating them decided to fight back peacefully.
In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in New York. The Congress was
made up of representatives from many colonies. The representatives agreed to
boycott2 British goods until the Stamp Act was repealed3. That same year, the
Sons of Liberty, a secret organization of colonists in favor of liberty, was formed.
Tensions grew between the Colonists and the British. In 1770, tensions
erupted with the Boston Massacre. British troops in Boston found themselves
confronted by a crowd of angry colonists. The crowd shouted at the troops and
threw snowballs and other small objects at them. The soldiers panicked. One
soldier started firing his gun. Then more soldiers fired into the unarmed crowd.
Five colonists were killed and six were injured.
The British government was afraid of losing control over the colonies.
They removed all the taxes on imports to try to make the colonists happy. They

1
protest object strongly and publicly
2 boycott to join together and refuse to buy or use a product or service
3
repealed taken back

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 Non-fiction: Colonization and Revolutionary War
Introduction to the Revolutionary War

allowed, however, one tax to remain in place for tea. In 1773, Parliament passed
the Tea Act to help get the East India Company out of financial trouble. This act
enabled the British trading company to sell tea in America at a low price. Even
with a tax on tea, the British company had a price advantage over American tea
companies. The colonists were furious. They feared East Indias tea would put
American tea companies out of business. In Boston, a leader of the resistance
named Samuel Adams decided to protest. He spoke to a group of colonists on
December 16, 1773 at the Old South Church in Boston. Shortly after he spoke, a
large group of men boarded British ships and dumped thousands of pounds of
East Indias tea into the harbor. Crowds of onlookers gathered to celebrate the
rebellious1 act. They nicknamed the event the Boston Tea Party.
The British responded quickly and harshly. In 1774, they passed several
measures known as the Intolerable Acts. They closed the Boston port and made
it difficult for the major city to function. Other colonies, especially Maryland,
helped Boston survive by sending food and supplies.
All of these events had two main consequences. First, they made the
colonists resent Britain. Britains government seemed far away and out of touch
with the colonists needs. Many colonists began to think about ruling themselves.
Second, they helped unite the colonists. The colonists had come to the New
World with very different backgrounds and lifestyles. They were sprawled2
across the East Coast of this big continent. But Britains acts gave them a single
purpose and a common cause: justice and liberty.
In September 1774, the first meeting of the First Continental Congress
took place. Representatives from 12 of the American colonies met to discuss
how they would unite and defend their rights as men. Within months the
Revolutionary War would begin. Less than two years later, on July 4, 1776,
America would declare its independence.

1
rebellious defying authority, disobedient
2
sprawled spread out all over the place

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